Trick or Treat
by celtic7irish
Summary: "I fail to see why such an outdated, juvenile custom must be observed tonight," Ciel grumbled, scowling at his reflection in the full-length mirror.  Short one-shot made for Halloween! Sebastian x Ciel, mention of Ciel x Elizabeth.


"I fail to see why such an outdated, juvenile custom must be observed tonight," Ciel grumbled, scowling at his reflection in the full-length mirror. Ever since Elizabeth had insisted, in that usual, adorable way of hers, that they dress up in costume and go trick-or-treating, Ciel had been in a foul mood. He had been, as always, entirely disarmed by Elizabeth's innocent excitement, her eyes bright as she talked a mile a minute, planning out their costumes and where they'd go in town. Somehow, her naivety, her pureness, showed Ciel glimpses of what might have been, had his parents still been alive, had he still been part of a happy, fortunate family.

"Might I remind Bocchan that he agreed to accompany the Lady Elizabeth on her nighttime excursion," a smooth, cultured voice replied, and Ciel glared darkly at the demon behind him, who just smiled in return, amusement dancing in his crimson eyes. Sebastian was, as always, amused by Ciel's inability to refuse Elizabeth anything, no matter how outrageous or childish it might be. This wouldn't be the first time that he had suffered through such mortification for her sake.

Taking one last critical look at the one-eyed gypsy rogue staring back at him, Ciel turned away with a huff, sulking. Of course, if anybody dared to point that out to him, he'd have to make their lives just as miserable as his right now. That included a certain smug, pain in the ass demon butler, he thought darkly.

Striding down the hallway, Ciel paused at the top of the stairs, bracing himself. If he was lucky, the other useless servants would be nowhere to be found, and he could escape without having to see them. Of course, his luck just wasn't that good, he scowled, hearing the loud, rambunctious voices of Maylene and Finnian, overridden by the loud, brash voice of that moron Bardroy.

Ah, that was why. It looked like Lady Elizabeth hadn't trusted him to come pick her up, and had decided to come to him instead, if only to make sure he had dressed up properly. At least the clothes were comfortable, Ciel admitted to himself. They were loose and comfortable, the bright colors melding together surprisingly well on his petite form.

"Hey, isn't he ready yet?" came Lizzie's plaintive inquiry, and Ciel surrendered. Lightly, he walked down the stairs, stepping into the parlor at the same time as the approaching party. When Lizzie looked up and saw him, her whole face lit up, happiness shining in her eyes like stars. Ciel remembered why he couldn't say no to his fiancée. Her happiness was contagious, and it was almost enough to make him smile, if only he could remember how.

He gave a bow, slightly more flamboyant than was actually required, and Lady Elizabeth giggled, delighted that he was playing along with her again. "My dearest Lady, shall we go?" Ciel asked formally, standing straight and holding out his arm, his elbow bent. Her eyes still dancing happily, her skirt flouncing around her ankles and small bells jingling on her ankles, Lizzie took his arm, snuggling up to him as they left the Phantomhive Mansion, heading for the carriage that awaited them, ready to take them into town.

Ciel helped his fiancée into the carriage first, careful not to tear her costume, and then he clambered in himself, maneuvering rather easy in the more loosely fitting gypsy outfit. Once he, too, was seated, Lizzie pressed up against him, laying her head carefully on his shoulder and holding his hand, entwining their fingers. Ciel allowed it, his fingers wrapping carefully around hers in response as he watched the passing darkness outside the carriage.

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves in the heart of the town, parents and their gaily dressed children frolicking around, moving from house to house begging for treats, which were given readily with coos over the children and their adorable outfits. Ciel often wondered why it was required that the children say "Trick or treat" when it was perfectly obvious that they'd only be getting treats?

Sebastian, who had been driving the carriage as Ciel had refused to allow anybody else to take him on such an embarrassing excursion, pulled over and stopped the carriage. Moments later, he was opening the door for Ciel, helping him out so that he could turn and assist Elizabeth. Blond curls bounced as Lizzie looked around, taking in the street with its bright lights and creepy decorations. Skeletons and cobwebs seemed to dominate the majority of the decorations, and Ciel spared a moment to wonder if the Undertaker would like it here.

Dismissing such irrelevant thoughts, Ciel took his bucket from Sebastian with only a mild glare, Elizabeth's excited chatter too distracting for him to get truly angry. He'd be pissed later, and Sebastian would have to pay for it.

Grabbing his hand, Elizabeth tugged on Ciel's arm, dragging him in the direction of the nearest house. Ciel was still looking around, noting that while there were a few children their age, most of them were much younger, ranging from infants still in their parents' arms to children around the age of ten. Flushing in mortification, Ciel was starting to regret agreeing to Lizzie's outrageous proposition.

Stopping in front of the first house, Lizzie cheerfully knocked, while Ciel glanced at their decorations. Cobwebs hung in the windows and from the dead trees in the yard. A ring of ghosts circled the trunk of the largest tree, holding hands as they danced in some unknown ritual, the breeze blowing and tugging at the sheets they were made from. Pumpkins that had been carved with odd faces stared out towards the street, and a skeleton hung, creaking in his cage, from the roof's overhang.

The door opened, and Ciel blinked at the sudden increase in light, only now hearing the music that throbbed gently through the house, the notes chilling and quite obviously intended solely for this particular holiday.

"Trick or treat!" Elizabeth chirped, holding out her bucket for candy treats. A sharp elbow in Ciel's side, and he blinked before holding out his bucket automatically and speaking the same words as Elizabeth. If he had to do this all night, he was going to scream, he thought idly as the lady gave them each a small handful of chocolate treats.

"Gypsies, right hon?" the lady asked, and Elizabeth nodded happily, chattering in her usual way about how this was her first time going trick or treating, and how she had decided that it looked like a lot of fun, and wanted to try it before getting married to her fiancée. Ciel, realizing where she was going, grabbed her hand and tugged, interrupting her stream of chatter before she could say anything else. Lizzie's eyes widened in mortification as she realized what she had almost said, and Ciel used that opportunity to leave, bowing shortly at the middle-aged woman who had just given them candy.

This ritual was repeated for the next house, and the one after that, and the one after that, and so on, until Ciel thought he was going to collapse from embarrassment and exhaustion. Who would have ever guessed that visiting _every _house in town was going to take so long. No wonder the other children had seemed to pick just one or two streets and then headed in for the night.

Still, by the time they were finished, they had each obtained about three buckets of candy, and Ciel helped Lady Elizabeth back into the carriage. Climbing in himself, he barely glanced at the buckets of candy on the floor of the carriage before sitting down with a sigh, closing his eyes wearily. Lizzie was still chattering beside him, as excited and enthusiastic as ever, and Ciel wondered briefly where she got all of her energy from.

The ride home was comfortable, Lizzie's chatter a constant background, keeping Ciel's exhaustion at bay. She had sorted through the candy, swapping some out for others, well aware of Ciel's tastes regarding sweet things. Ciel didn't know why he had gotten such a sweet, lively fiancée, full of light and happiness and all those things that Ciel could only vaguely remember, as a part of his past that had been annihilated in the same fire that his parents had died in.

When they arrived back at the Phantomhive mansion, Ciel helped Elizabeth out of the carriage and they both went inside, leaving Sebastian to stable the horses and bring in the buckets of candy. The Phantomhive servants were awaiting them inside, and Lizzie started in on them immediately, filling them in on the decorations and costumes and people who gave them such wonderful treats.

Ciel, for his part, kissed Lady Elizabeth's hand good night and begged off for the evening, heading upstairs to retire. It was only a quarter til ten, but he was worn out from pretending to be just another happy child, seeking sugary treats that would no doubt make him sick when he ate them later, gorging himself on chocolate.

Entering his bedroom, he saw Sebastian standing there, tall and regal in his butler's suit. Ciel sighed tiredly, allowing Sebastian to help him undress and prepare for bed. Once his nightshirt was on, his ring and eye patch removed, Ciel lay back in bed, staring up at Sebastian. "Well?" he demanded. Sebastian blinked at him, then smiled, but didn't move any closer. The bastard was going to make Ciel say it.

"I worked all night, and tricked all those people into believing that I was anybody other than who I am. I'm exhausted. Now where's my treat?" he snapped, put out at having to spell it out to the demon, even though they both knew exactly what he wanted.

Crimson eyes glowing eerily in the dark room, Sebastian smiled, white teeth flashing brightly for a moment as he leaned down over Ciel. "Happy Halloween," he murmured, kissing his master.


End file.
